Stained Quarries
by killerxaim
Summary: Cato Marks is a young, mostly inexperienced bodyguard in District Two's Capitol city when the city's most successful business tycoon's family is threatened. When he is assigned to watch over the daughter, his skills and patience will be tested and learn why every bodyguard assigned to Clove Bennett has suddenly quit. Modern AU Clato.
1. Chapter 1

"It's good money, Marks. You should really think about accepting this offer."

The young blond man leaned back in his chair, his hands resting on the back of his neck. His lips were pursed as he toyed with the idea. He couldn't help but be a little hesitant. Something about this deal seemed off. He didn't meet the other's eyes.

"If it's such a sweet deal then how come you aren't offering it to someone else with more seniority and experience?" he questioned. He raised a brow in suspicion as he awaited an answer from his boss.

His gaze landed on the large middle-aged man sitting behind the even larger wooden desk. The older man sighed and rubbed his face, almost as though he was dreading giving the explanation, and he was. He knew he would ask but he had yet to come up with a good way to explain without telling him the bad news. He reached forward and rifled through a few large manila folders on his desk, picking one out, flipping it open and pushing it toward his employee.

Cato Marks curiously leaned forward, bringing the folder onto his lap as he quickly scanned the information as he leafed through the stack of sheets.

"The client is the owner the country's largest stone masonry company, Benne-"

"Bennett Quarry?" Cato asked incredulously, his eyes widening. It wasn't just some company; it was the company their city was known for all across the country. The headquarters in the heart of the city had been there for at least twenty years now, and quickly became its crown jewel. It might as well be a landmark with it's fifty plus floors and shining glass windows which covered it completely. "You want me to take on a case from Bennett? But sir-"

Brutus put up his hand to silence the other, not wanting to hear it. "It is probably the biggest client we've had in the past five years, and clearly it would be at the utmost importance that we deliver the best possible service we can." The younger man still looked skeptical.

"But sir, why me?"

Brutus sighed and folded his hands on top of his desk. Cato could have sworn he saw something in the older man's expression that he never usually saw. Embarrassment, perhaps?

"Mr. Marks, you would not be the first to take on this assignment," he muttered begrudgingly. _Ah. There it was_, Cato thought.

"What happened to the others?" he asked, continuing to flip through the documents that were being held inside the folder. As he did so, he saw the words 'verbal threats' along with 'attempted assault'.

"Well... to put it simply, they quit. But that's not important," he added quickly. "The reason I feel that you would do better is the fact that you are younger and while you may have less experience, the skills you would bring to this assignment are valuable. I'm confident that you could complete the job and keep the client safe."

"So you want me to protect Bennett from some moron that said he'd get his revenge?" Cato asked as he continued to quickly read through the forms.

From what Cato could understand, Bennett had fired some employee and not unusually, the man had been upset and had gone so far as to threaten Bennett and his family but hadn't been arrested. What could they arrest him for anyway? He had stormed out of the company but something still didn't sit right with Bennett. He had the former employee watched for a few days but still felt uneasy. That was where Brutus came in and was approached by the business tycoon.

Brutus seemed to be amused by this and chuckled as he leaned back in his chair. "Oh. no. I wouldn't put you in charge of protecting the man himself. He has a small team watching out for him and his wife. You'd be in charge of taking care of his kid."

Oh. Cato felt his shoulders sag a little and his expression fell in disappointment with this information. "His kid? You want me to babysit some rich guy's brat?" He closed the folder and lazily tossed it back on his boss' desk before leaning back in his seat with a huff. Here he thought he was finally going to get his first exciting job only to walk into this letdown of an opportunity.

Brutus gave his young employee an admonishing look. "Don't be like that, Cato. This is a great opportunity I'm giving you."

"Opportunity?" Cato let out a snort. "You're only giving me this job because everyone else bailed on it. My job is to protect clients, maybe get into a few fights once in a while. Not wipe the snot from some kid's nose and play nanny."

Brutus stood up from his seat, his hands resting on the dark wood of the desk's surface as he leaned toward his young employee. "I don't think you're seeing the bigger picture here, Marks. First of all, this isn't some little kid you'd have to be watching; she's a young adult. And yes, you'd be watching her but I wouldn't offer you this job if it didn't do some good. The benefits here are more than the typical job: the pay is amazing, you'd get to work in a secure environment, and all you really have to do is drive the daughter around and keep an eye out for anything suspicious. She'll be happy, her father will be happy, and our business will get a good reputation for future clients."

Cato looked up at his boss from where he was sitting and eyed him as he contemplated the offer. It did sound like a rather simple job, but Cato could tell why Brutus was insisting on pushing him into it. It was simple, his boss wanted a good rapport with such a huge and influential company and the man who owned it. And that was fine. Smart, even. Who wouldn't want to be on the good side of the richest person in town? And if everything went smoothly, Brutus' business would probably skyrocket after some positive word of mouth. But when was he finally going to give Cato a more exciting assignment like the ones he'd hoped for when he first joined the bodyguard business? So far he'd only gotten to guard several old geezers that were already on their way out but they happened to be executives or hold some sort of title. And what had happened to them? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It was so mind-numbingly boring. He might as well have taken some monotonous nine-to-five desk job.

But this particular job did have some benefits. For starters, he wouldn't be watching over some drooling kid. And it may be boring but at least he'd get to hang around what was sure to be a mansion. He bit his lip as he tried to think of some glaring downside but he found that he couldn't think of anything. He let out a soft groan.

"Fine... I'll take the Bennett job," he said as he pushed himself to his feet. "The pay better be as good as you say it is."

Brutus gave him a rare little grin of victory as he looked up at the blond from his desk. He chuckled as he reached for the folder and opened the cover to see Bennett's file and searched for another form toward the bottom of the pile.

"Good. And since I figure it will be helpful, here's the girl you'll be looking after. Try to refrain from your notorious flirting and getting our asses sued." He picked the form he was looking for and held it out for the other.

With a roll of his eyes, Cato snatched the sheet from his boss' hand and quickly scanned it. Of the various little boxes and type that covered the page, his gaze went right to the top and read the name of his new ward.

_Clove Bennett_


	2. Chapter 2

"I have to _what?_"

Several miles out of town in a quiet, boring suburb with quiet, boring people in a lavish and pristine house, a young woman was fuming at what her father had just told her.

"You're going to be accompanied by a new guard starting Monday. Now, he's going to be going with you to classes and whatever it is you do after until you get home and I better not hear anything about you being uncooperative or I swear to God I'll have you enrolled in an online university."

The young woman, about twenty years old (although with her height she could be mistaken for much younger) with long dark hair sat at her spot at their kitchen table, her breakfast forgotten as her father told her the news. It was much too early for this and she couldn't believe the man had gone and got her another one. And then he had to nerve to go back to reading the paper and checking his phone after being alerted to a new email.

This was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. How could he- She ran her fingers through her still-disheveled hair. "I don't need another guard," she forced out through gritted teeth, her other hand gripping the edge of the table so hard her nails would probably leave an impression.

Her father continued to scroll through his phone, not even looking up at her. He figured he would get this reaction from her and he simply didn't have time for it this time. "Well, honey, you don't exactly get to decide that. Until they catch that guy and I feel it's safe-"

"But nothing's even happened! Why should _I_ have to deal with another damn babysitter because _you're_ paranoid!"

Clove's mother chose this time to enter the kitchen, coffee mug in hand, and rolled her eyes. "Clove, stop being so dramatic and finish your breakfast, please," she said with a sigh and walked over to the fridge.

Clove turned to glare at her mother, her dark hair whipping behind her. "I can't believe you're going along with this, too. Aren't you tired of always having someone watching your every move? When are we finally going to go back to living like normal?" Clove slumped back into her chair dramatically and lazily pushed the eggs on her plate around with her fork.

It felt like this nightmare was never going to end. It had been a few months since the whole incident sparking this entire thing had happened and she was tired of feeling so caged in. At the beginning of the summer right after it happened, there were several guards at her house around the clock. And she couldn't even think about going anywhere without a chauffeur and bodyguard with her at all times. She hated this. Hated having someone always there. Hated someone watching her every move and reporting it to her parents. She hadn't done anything wrong, so why did she have to be on such a short leash? She was so embarrassed that she hadn't told her friends for two weeks why she couldn't go out with them. She attributed it to being sick but eventually they were suspicious.

Her mother let out an exasperated sound and joined them at the table a few moments later. "It won't be for very long, dear. Just think of how lucky you are that your father can afford such measures to keep you safe."

"Safe from what though? It's been over two months," she mumbled before taking a small bite of her toast. "I don't get why you and dad are still so worried."

"It's just a precaution," her father finally answered, looking up from his phone and setting the paper down beside him. A stern expression then appeared on his features and he folded his hands in front of him. He looked as though he was trying to explain something to a small child. "And until we get the all-clear, you will behave with this one. No more terrorizing whoever you get or disappearing on them, young lady. Understood?"

Clove didn't rush to answer. She smirked slightly as she thought back on how she treated her last three guards and "terrorizing" wasn't a completely inaccurate word to use. She had been bitter, cruel, and sometimes completely unreasonable with those her father had hired to protect her. The last one she had, she had managed to disappear on him for several hours, leading him on a wild goose chase until she got several calls from her father and quite the homecoming later that night. She had never seen her father's face get so red. Her mother wouldn't even speak or look at her. She thought it would send a clear message that she could manage on her own, even make the guards look incompetent, but her father refused to give in to her. Her punishment was that she was technically on lockdown for an entire week.

"Fine..." she dragged out reluctantly before looking down and playing with her food again. She'd have to be craftier if she was going to stay under her father's radar this time. Hopefully this new one would be weak-minded and easily manipulated.

Her father seemed to be satisfied with her answer and gathered his things. "Good. Now I'll see you both later tonight. Have a good day, be safe," he told them as he moved around the table and kissed the top of both their heads. Clove didn't respond to the gesture, keeping her narrowed gaze locked on what was left of her breakfast.

Her mother bid her husband goodbye and when he was gone, focused her attention on her daughter, who currently looked as though she was about to destroy whatever food was left on her plate. "You really should stop giving him such a hard time. He's only doing what he thinks is best for this family."

"I'm giving _him_ a hard time?" Clove asked, finally looking up. "And what about me? I haven't been able to do anything all summer and now I have to go to school with some gross middle-aged guy following me around? That's gonna be great, mom. Just how I pictured the beginning of the year to start."

Her mother rolled her eyes once more and took a sip of her coffee. "There you go again, being dramatic. And you'll see, it's not gonna be so bad. It's not like he's going to sit next to you in all your classes or you're going to be attached to each other with handcuffs. They're trained to be discreet and I'm sure you're making a big deal over nothing. You should be grateful your father is still letting you attend school this semester with all this going on," she added, giving her daughter a pointed look.

Clove's dark green eyes widened. She had never even considered that. If she thought she was miserable over the summer, she couldn't imagine how much worse it would be being stuck at home while all her friends were in class. But she still wasn't crazy about her current situation.

Her mother had always said she inherited her stubbornness from her father so chances weren't good that her whining would convince him. She'd either have to behave and wait this whole thing out, however long that may take, or really go back to the drawing board and find some loophole in which she could make her new bodyguard's job a living hell. He was probably going to be another guy around her father's age so how difficult could it be?

"See? It could be worse. Now, finish your breakfast. You have to get ready soon. We're going to go meet him for lunch," he mother announced, standing up and putting her mug in the stainless steel sink.

Clove raised a brow. "We just had breakfast and we're going to meet dad for lunch?" They hadn't met her father for lunch on a Saturday since she was twelve.

Her mother began to walk toward her on her way out of the kitchen. "No, dear. We're going to meet your new guard for lunch. Your father's already met him; now it's our turn, mostly for yours and his sake. That way it's less awkward when he goes with you to school on Monday."

Clove had taken a forkful of hash browns into her mouth and when her mother clarified what she had meant, she dropped her fork and almost choked. She coughed as she tried to clear her throat, her eyes watering slightly.

"We're meeting him _today?_ Why didn't Dad say anything?" she questioned, her voice still sounding a little strained before she took a drink of her juice.

"He must have forgot or didn't feel like starting that whole ordeal with you. He has to go in to work today for a meeting. He told me last night anyway. So as soon as your done with that, go shower and get ready. I know it takes you like three hours so get started" she told her daughter, running her fingers through the girl's hair as she passed and made her way up the grand staircase to the second floor.

Once she was gone, Clove sat there for a moment at the table, thinking about all that had happened in such a short amount of time. She looked down at what was left on her plate and frowned. She wasn't even hungry anymore.

_Wonderful. Just Wonderful._


	3. Chapter 3

I just wanted to say thank you so much to everyone that's taken the time to read and comment on this story! You don't know how nice it is to see that people are actually noticing my little ol' fanfic and are interested in the plot so far. I hope I don't let you down! And I'm so sorry this chapter took like a month. School and life just got kinda busy but I have no intention of abandoning this story. Once again, thank you everyone and I hope you like this chapter! ;D

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><p>Later that day (on Saturday morning, to be exact), Cato was going through his closet, sliding several shirts back and forth until he finally settled on one that would be appropriate.<p>

_No, no, no, why does that one have a stain, no, yes._ He pulled out a pressed dark gray dress shirt and held it out in front of his as he inspected it. It looked clean. No wrinkles. He brought it close to his nose and briefly sniffed it and declared that it would do the job.

In just an hour he was supposed to meet the Bennett girl he would be looking after starting that following Monday and Brutus had emphasized how important it was to make a good impression. The older man had said that he didn't have to wear a suit but he still had to look clean-cut and professional. It wasn't like Cato didn't already expect that. He would be in Jack Bennett's home and he knew how much was at stake here.

He pushed his arms through the sleeves and straightened the shirt as he watched himself in his floor-length mirror behind his door. He grabbed his favorite black tie off the nearby dresser and began to tie it into his default Windsor knot. Once he was done and felt satisfied with how he looked from the waist up, he pulled on his black dress pants and looked in the mirror once more before making his way over to his bathroom.

Despite being so young, Cato had been responsible for himself for a few years now, and after working various jobs and saving for about two years, had finally been able to purchase his own modern studio apartment near the heart of downtown. It wasn't a huge apartment, but Cato only had himself to look after and ultimately didn't need much space. He had a small kitchen, enough room for a bed, a bathroom, some space for a guest or two. It was all he really needed. And it was close to work. What more could he want?

Stepping into the slightly cluttered bathroom, he reached forward to open the vanity and pulled out a dark bottle of cologne. He smirked slightly at the sudden memory of when he was a teenager and applied it for the first time. He had put on way too much and the scent was so strong it gave him a headache and the smell was stuck in his nose for days. He sprayed a small amount on his hand and dabbed it along his neck before dabbing his wrists.

Looking in the mirror once more, he quickly scanned himself over, mentally checking off his list on what he had to do to be ready for this meeting. He looked professional, but not too formal, his hair was neat, his face clean-shaven. All he had to do was put on his shoes, grab his keys and wallet and he'd be good to go.

He was walking out the door about five minutes later, locking the heavy door with a loud click before slipping his keys back into his pocket. He made his way to the parking garage that held his car and soon enough, he was driving toward the city limits after entering the address into the car's GPS. It was several years old and even he had to admit it had seen better days, but it would get the job done. If anything, it would get him close to where he needed to be. How hard could it be to find the famous Bennett mansion anyway?

About twenty five minutes later and several curses under his breath after taking a wrong turn or two, he finally found the long winding stone road Brutus had told him to look out for. And the Bennett estate was magnificent.

Along the road which had been laid with bricks, large magnolia trees with vivid fuchsia leaves were lined each side for about a quarter of a mile before he could finally see the mansion. Surprisingly, it wasn't exactly what he had in mind when he heard other talk of the enormous property. He had essentially pictured a castle but this house was much more modern than he would have expected. It looked like the kind he'd seen in a magazine, with asymmetrical structures and large windows that made up entire walls, allowing anyone to see the family's living areas as well as some rooms on the second floor. Naturally, he'd be concerned about the privacy of the Bennett family but then again, how many people beside them and the staff had even been allowed this far? He knew from Brutus that extra cautionary action had been taken when he agreed to this job; the agency already had background checks ready to show to their new clients but who knew what else they could have looked into about his past. Thankfully, he had nothing to hide or he obviously wouldn't have been invited to the man's family home.

Once he was closer to the house, he was met with a large wrought-iron gate with stone pillars and he suddenly felt a little nervous. He hadn't known about this. Was he just supposed to wait for them to open? Would someone come out to meet him? Maybe he should call his boss. He looked around, leaning against the steering wheel when he caught sight of a rectangular panel on the stone pillar nearest to him and he rolled down his window and slowly drove up a little closer. An intercom. Perfect. He reached out and firmly pressed the button, and waited. Moments later he heard a grating buzz from the device and a gruff voice emitted from it.

"Name and business," it grunted.

"Uh-Cato Marks. I have a meeting Jack Bennett's wife and daughter," he replied, wanting to kick himself for not answering with more conviction.

The intercom seemed to turn off for a moment before it buzzed again. "Proceed."

Cato nodded and watched as the large gates slowly opened up for him and let his foot step off the brake. He pulled up into the driveway and was met by two stern-looking men and Cato quickly turned off the ignition and stepped out of the car to greet them. After a quick inspection to make sure he wasn't potentially dangerous or was concealing a weapon, he was given the all-clear and was lead up to the front door, the two men still behind him. It made the blond feel uncomfortable, as though he was guilty of something he'd done or hadn't even gotten the chance to do yet. He reached up and rang the doorbell.

He could faintly hear the sound of someone calling out "coming!" before the double doors opened a few seconds later to reveal a petite middle-aged woman. The first thing Cato noticed about her were her soft green eyes and how they contrasted with her fair skin and shoulder-length dark hair. Was this Mrs. Bennett? Other than the faint crinkles at the outer corners of her eyes, he wouldn't have thought her to be older than thirty or thirty-five.

"Oh, you must be Cato Marks," she beamed, offering her hand and he shook it with a smile. "Yes, ma'am, that's me. And you must be-"

"Claire Bennett," she finished. She could sense the young man's nervousness and realized how intimidating this must be for him, especially with two large men watching his every move. She chuckled and gave the men a dismissive nod. "Thank you, gentlemen, I can take it from here. Come inside, Mr. Marks," she told him, stepping back inside and gesturing for him to follow her.

The two men replied with curt nods, still eyeing Cato carefully as they returned back toward the large gated entrance. The blond swallowed nervously and tried to walk as confidently as he could into the enormous foyer after Mrs. Bennett. With wide eyes he looked around the large space, in awe of the high ceilings, pristine white marble floors, and the grand winding staircase that brought his attention to the crystal chandelier hanging above them.

Claire looked over her shoulder and smiled warmly at the young man. He was much younger than the previous bodyguards her husband had employed. And much more handsome. Usually she would see this as a potential reason to be concerned but if Jack had approved of the young man then she would trust his judgement.

"So I want to thank you for coming all the way out here, Mr. Marks. I know it must have taken a while coming from the city."

Cato turned his attention back toward her and shook his head. "Please, Mrs. Bennett, call me Cato," he insisted. "And it was no trouble at all. I've never been this way before and it was nice getting to see what's out here. Your home is absolutely beautiful," he added a little breathlessly, still in awe of the surroundings and that a home as nice as this existed.

"Thank you, _Cato_," she replied, offering him a soft smile. She looked toward the staircase when she heard something upstairs and her lips curved into a small frown. She walked over toward the wall where another small rectangular panel was placed and pressed a button before leaning closer to the speaker. "Clove, our visitor is here. Would you care to join us?" She lifted her finger from the button and the two waited for a response that oddly never came.

Claire raised her brows and turned to Cato, hiding her annoyance with a smile. "Well. Why don't we move into the kitchen and wait for her to join us? Would you like something to drink, Cato?" she asked kindly.

Cato shifted uneasily on his feet, feeling the tension radiate from the older woman and tried to not show any signs that he had noticed. "Oh, um... Water would be nice, thank you," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck as he followed the other through the hall and into the just as impressive kitchen. Clearly something wasn't right but he knew it wasn't any of his business so he'd pretend not to have noticed.

Claire walked over to the refrigerator, the sound of her heels clicking against the tiles of the floor echoing through the room and Cato stood awkwardly in the entrance way. She pulled out a clear pitcher of water with a slice of lemon or two floating inside it and went to one of the many cabinets and pulled out a glass before pouring it.

"So Cato, tell me about yourself," she began, handing him the glass and leading him over to the table to sit down. "We're probably going to be seeing you quite often so it's probably best we get to know each other a little," she told him warmly before sitting down as well.

He cast her a nervous smile and took a sip from his glass. "Of course. I've always lived in this city so I know it like the back of my hand, so you don't ever have to worry about that. Lived with my parents but when they moved to Four, I decided to stay here with a family friend and–"

He stopped and they both looked up when they heard the sound of someone coming down the stairs (which Cato thought sounded more like stomping) and appearing at the entrance of the kitchen.

Other than the blank, yet slightly annoyed expression on her face, the girl was almost a carbon copy of the woman seated across from him. With the same fair skin and soft green eyes, the young petite woman was dressed in a light gray sweater, dark skinny jeans, and boots that probably cost more than anything in his own closet. Her hair, which was much longer and had a slight wave to it, framed her angular face which had a light dusting of freckles across her skin. She looked even prettier than she was in the small thumbnail photo in her file but Cato almost couldn't believe this girl was twenty. She looked maybe closer to seventeen or eighteen and wondered what it was about the mother and daughter that made them look younger than they actually were. She remained in the doorway as Cato stood up from his seat as did Claire.

"Clove, sweetie, this is Cato Marks," her mother said, walking over to her daughter and placing her hands on the younger woman's shoulders, gently leading her in Cato's direction.

Cato met her halfway and stretched out his hand, a small smile on his lips as he greeted her. "It's nice to meet you, Clove."

Clove regarded him skeptically, her green eyes scanning him up and down before reluctantly taking his hand. "I know."

"Clove," her mother said scoldingly before letting out a nervous laugh. "She's glad to meet you, Cato. It was all she's been talking about all morning." Clove pulled her hand back toward her side and looked away with a roll of her eyes. She supposed it wasn't a complete lie. Complaining did fall under the category of talking.

Cato let his hand rest by his side again as well and quickly understood what was going on now. Brows his raising slightly, he chuckled and decided to go along with it as though everything was perfectly fine. "I bet. Well, I'm sure this will be a pleasant experience. You'll barely even notice me and I'll make sure nothing happens to you. Promise," he assured her.

Clove suddenly looked much more alert as through just struck with an idea and turned to her new guard with a renewed interest. "So. Cato, was it? How long have you been on this job?"

"Four years," he answered simply, curious as to what she was up to.

"And have you ever failed at protecting the people you've worked for?"

"Nope," he answered quickly without missing a beat.

"Have you ever been fired by a client?"

"No, ma'am."

"Do you get to carry a gun? Have you ever had to shoot anybody?"

"Young lady, what are you-" Claire cut in, only to be waved off by her daughter.

"Yes, and fortunately no."

"Have you ever killed anyone?" she asked, her gaze boring into the blond challengingly, slightly impressed by his calm response. Whenever she'd interrogate her previous guards they'd ignore or dismiss her completely or just look flat-out uncomfortable. She wondered how much it would take to break this one.

Cato met her stare and smirked. If this was the game she wanted to play then so be it. He could handle this. "Not yet."

Having enough of this exchange, Claire linked her and Clove's arms and began to lead her into the other room. "Cato, would you excuse us for just a moment?"

Cato nodded, the same smirk of amusement on his face whereas Claire turned her furious expression to her daughter as they walked away.

Maybe this would be more entertaining than he thought. After only taking care of elderly millionaires for all this time, he'd be welcome to any challenges this girl threw his way.


End file.
